PETALING JAYA: In an amusing exchange on Twitter, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan and Steven Sim recited poetry to each other in a move to set aside differences between them.

The two newly appointed deputy finance ministers said in their poems that they would forget the rift between them (lupa sengketa in Malay) and work together for the benefit of the people.

It all started when Sim tweeted the following poem in Malay: “Sama-sama dayung bahtera, Dayung arah kota permata; Sama-sama bangun negara, Junjung titah lupa sengketa,” before adding “Let’s work together DS @ahmadmaslan.”

Previously in 2015, Sim, from DAP, had said in a tweet that “I have only one job: to bring down a government which consists of people like Ahmad Maslan.”

However, it seems that both politicians are agreeing to bury the hatchet with Ahmad responding to Sim’s poem.

“Dayung arah, kota permata, Handal panglima, jadi hikayat, Junjung Titah, lupa sengketa, Ayuh bersama, demi #rakyat,” said the Umno secretary-general in his reply to Sim.

Ahmad also added to Sim that he will see him in the Finance Ministry office.

Earlier on Saturday (Dec 10), Ahmad and Sim were part of the 27 deputy ministers who took their oath of office before the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at the Istana Negara.